


Museum Trip

by scheherezade34



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-20
Updated: 2004-11-20
Packaged: 2018-12-26 20:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12066099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scheherezade34/pseuds/scheherezade34
Summary: Even a simple trip to a musuem can be complicated if you're Gus and his friends.





	Museum Trip

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

“Gus!”

“Yes, Mom?”

“I might have to go into the office this morning, so I’m not sure who’ll be taking you and your friends to the museum today.”

“Oh. Right.”

“I’m sorry, honey, but it can be helped. But you won’t miss out on your visit. I’ll make sure of that. I know how much you and your friends enjoy the occasional visit there. Especially now that you can all read well enough to interact with the displays by yourselves.”

“Is it okay if I call everybody and tell them?”

“Uh, sure, honey. But do you need too? After all, you’re all still going.”

“It’d be better.”

…………..

“Lindsay!”

“Yes, hon?”

“Something’s up with Gus about the museum trip today. It seems to matter who’s taking him. He’s probably worried that his friends might be stuck with that asshole Brian.”

“Has Gus said that?”

“No, but what else could it possibly be that he has to phone and warn his friends?”

“Well, we might be able to find out soon when they all meet up here before the trip. That way we won’t have to ask questions which will undermine Gus’s loyalties.”

“Why should we worry about doing that? Why does it matter if Gus is loyal to Brian?”

“Because you know no matter what you think of Brian as Gus’s father: and you know I don’t agree with you anyway; Gus will be a more secure boy if he’s confident of his father’s place in his life. Mel, honey, this is important. You know this.”

“I suppose so. So it HAS to be Brian?”

“They just phoned. Yes, it’s Brian by himself..”

“Poor kids.”

…………….

“Hello Jeremy and Tom. Alice and Tan are already here.” Lindsey said as she opened to door to let the latest arrivals in. Jeremy was a livewire with curly red hair, and Tom a quieter brunette.

Like Alice and Tan, they carried well stuffed bags – more than would be expected for a trip to a museum on a cold winter’s day when they were unlikely to go outside.

“Good morning Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Marcus. Um, do you know who’s taking us yet?”

“Yes, Honey, it’s Gus’s Dad.”

“Okay guys, it’s Mr. Kinney.”

All four visitors sat down and started pulling things out of their bags, while Gus headed for the kitchen.

Melanie and Lindsay watched. “Wha….”

They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing, signalling Brian’s arrival. He wandered in casually, dressed a little more formally than his usual weekend casual, in Prada pants and silk collared shirt open at the neck under his leather jacket. Mel nodded to him and got straight back to trying to find out why the children were unpacking their bags all over the sofa. 

Files, sweaters, pencil cases and pads were being unpacked. The bags were still fairly full, loaded with drinks and snacks, thankfully fairly healthy. Neat-as-a-pin Tan actually had three pair of shoes. She was engaged in changing her nice casuals for serious trainers, and she had repacked a pair of dress shoes into her bag.

“Dears, why are you taking those things out of your bags?”

“Is it all right if we leave these here till we get back, please?” Jeremy replied, “They might be a bit heavy if we have to carry them all.”

“Yes of course, honey, but why don’t you need them?”

“Well, if it’s not Jus …. Mr. Taylor taking us today, we don’t really need the pencils and drawing paper.”

“We’ve drawn some great stuff with him!” piped up Tom. The other kids grinned agreement.

“Mum sent my picture to Grandma and Grandad,” got in Alice, while all the kids continued repacking what they wanted in their bags.

“Uh, sure, that makes sense,” Mel replied. “I suppose that goes for Lindsay, too.”

“Well, not so much. But with Mrs. Peterson we really get into what we’re looking at. It’s fun getting right inside something and imagining, maybe imagining what a dinosaur’s world would be like. But that often means we’re looking carefully at a lot of details and stay still for a long time.” Jeremy rattled on “So we get cold if we’re drawing or imagining a lot. But it’s not Mr. Taylor or Mrs. Peterson taking us, so we’d rather not carry those extra sweaters.”

“But these files – I’ve seen you use them to collect brochures and take notes when I’ve taken you to places before. Don’t you need them if Mr. Kinney takes you?” Mel glanced significantly at Lindsay over the kid’s heads.

“Not really. If you take us Mrs. Marcus, we might as well keep all that information. It usually helps with projects at school sooner or later.”

Lindsay wasn’t quite sure what to make of that comment, but decided it would wiser not to pursue it further.

At that moment Gus returned from the kitchen with three drink bottles and a bundle of reasonably healthy snacks.

“Gus, do you really need all that food?”

“I don’t let them eat junk food, Mel,” Brian interpolated. “You wouldn’t approve.”

“But all those drinks! They’ll be so heavy!”

“But a good idea if your dad thinks the wrong brand of water is junk food,” Gus commented quietly to Lindsay.

Luckily, the sight of Tan’s three pairs of shoes had distracted Mel, so she missed collecting some ammunition.

“Tan, dear, why are you changing your shoes? The other ones are much nicer with your dress.”

“Yes, I know, Mrs. Marcus. But these are my best walking shoes. I’ll be comfortable all day.”

“But all the dinosaur collection is in the one hall.”

“Well, yes, but the lizards that have hips like some of the dinosaurs are in a different hall, and the birds with hips like the other dinosaurs are further on. So if we go to see the way dinosaurs really might have walked, the real mammal and bird videos ..  
"not tcomputer guys' ideas of artist's ideas of scientists' ideas.." butted in Gus.  
"we have to move around. And the mammals that have camouflage so that we can think about what colour the dinosaurs’ skins really were are three halls and two stairs away, and the snake skin collection with the absolutely beautiful scales are in a collection room where the curators have to let you in..:”

“Do you think there might have been dinosaurs striped like tigers, Mrs. Peterson?” butted in Jeremy

“Or with gold and red diamond patterned scales like a beautiful python?” from quiet Alison.

“And” said Tan firmly, insisting on pulling back the conversation so she could finish her point “If we start looking at the insects that were there with the dinosaurs..”

“giant, giant insects,” contributed Gus.

“… then we might we might go right over the other side to look at the all the scarab beetle brooches in the Ancient Egyptian collection.” determinedly finished Tan.

Lindsay got in first. “How did you find out about the collection rooms?”

“The curator told us.”

“Why was he talking to you?”

“Well, I suppose the museum staff usually start talking to Dad,” responded Gus. Brian shrugged an elegant but silent ‘Well, can I help it if I’m irresistible?’ shrug at Melanie, but stayed outside the conversation.

“So,” stated Melanie, “the museum staff get roped in to tell you everything.”

“No, Mrs. Marcus,” corrected Tan, eyeing Melanie with the beginnings of suspicion, “We get really interested in something first and start asking questions and they just answer them and then start suggesting other things they’ve got in the museum.”

Mel would have to be careful, Lindsay thought. Girls were so much more socially aware than boys at this age. Though Gus was watching the conversation with an amusement that was a disconcerting echo of the smirk on his father’s face.

Mel tried a different track, probably irritated by that smirk. “And why make them trek backwards and forwards all over Brian? You should plan it better than that before you go.”

“How would I know what they had where?” asked Brian.

“The basic collection never changes. You have to know that.”

“Why should I? Justin and I don’t go on dates to museums.”

“Every kid gets taken to the museums.”

“Not when I couldn’t afford school excursions till I got a job in High School,” Brian half answered the statement. He went straight on in a silken voice with a smirk, “and besides, how can I predict what suggestions the museum staff may make?” The double entendre was deliberate and obvious, and neatly distracted Mel into anger.

Don’t, Mel. Don’t take the bait, thought Lindsay. If you do he’ll get absolutely furious. And he’ll have a right to be furious, even if he did provoke you.

“The museum staff are busy professionals whose time shouldn’t be wasted,” gritted Mel.

Not too bad, thought Lindsay. We might get through this yet.

“Wasting time on the general public?” smirked Brian, but glanced down at Gus’s suddenly blank face; ‘How has he managed to copy that from Brian?’ thought Lindsay. With a quick change of mood, Brian smirked at Jeremy. “Got your ‘Prove It” book today?”

“You bet,” grinned Jeremy, waving a small notebook in the air.

“’Prove It’ book?” asked Lindsay, puzzled and willing to continue the distraction.

“You try convincing someone that it’s the absolute truth that there are eggs the size of pumpkins and one floated right across the Indian Ocean to be found on a desert shore hundreds of years later by two kids. Everyone says ‘yes dear, what a lovely story!’” muttered Jeremy darkly. “You need to keep something about where you found it out so you can tell them where to go look for it, the patronizing ……”

“The notebooks are useful, Mrs. Marcus,” intervened Tan effortlessly.

“But Tan,” remonstrated Melanie, trying to get back in control of the group, “why on earth have you put your dress shoes back in the bag you’re taking.”

“For lunch.”

“But most people will be wearing casual shoes in the museum cafeteria, dear.”

“Yes, Mrs. Marcus. But I prefer dress shoes for Cesare’s or Chez Pierre.”

“You drag the kids to restaurants, Brian? And feed them on snails and caviar, I suppose?”

“Not really,” chipped in Tom, who was looking at Mel with the beginnings of a worried frown, “the ravioli were the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

“No, those schnitzel things were.”

“Enough,” commanded Brian. “Get your asses out to the car now, if you’re coming with me.”

“I’ll go get the keys for the caravan for you. Come with me Tan, then you can bring them back in to Brian for me.” Mel steered Tan toward the kitchen. “Tan,” she added quietly, safe in the kitchen, “We could always drop you and home and go somewhere ourselves another day. I know you like things to go as planned.”

“I may be cautious, Mrs. Marcus,” beamed Tan, with a beautiful smile, “but I’m not silly.”

As they waited in the doorway to wave goodbye to the car, Lindsay turned to look at Mel with a smile, her head on one side.

“I know,” said Mel ruefully, “I got it wrong.

“With you, they get journeys into the imagination; with me, they get useful information. And before you say anything I know I’d better think about that.” Lindsay nodded with a smile, but didn’t answer.

“With Justin they get – and create – beautiful visions. And with Brian they get a magical mystery tour, plus, would you believe, the beginnings of authoritative referencing.” Mel continued. “But do you know what I’d like to see most? Brian taking five scruffy kids – well, four scruffy kids and Tan – to an elite restaurant; demanding pasta for six; and forcing the headwaiter to treat them with respect.”

“I’d bet they’re not scruffy by the time Brian takes them there. And he’d do it beautifully.”

“I know. That’s why I’d love to see it. I’ve always hated that snobby headwaiter at Cesare’s.”

“Do you think we could sneak in and watch?”

“We both have work to do. But …….. Justin would know where they’re going. And he wouldn’t tell.”


End file.
